Sons organization should be thoroughly embarrassed. Age has nothing to do with anything in a Grade Based Event - period - end of story. 2021 Teams cannot have 7th grade players - not even 1. I hope this is a lesson for any Teams billing themselves as 2021 - that have a 7th grader who may meet some age definition.....It does not matter - and Parents should know this. If a Tournament has a Grade Based Division - and it is example 2021 - then 100% of the Roster must be in 6th Grade or below. This is Black and White issue - it is flat out Cheating.

Here is the email about the Sons from the League Director who just stoop up and did right thing. Tournament Directors will not allow this either - in Grade Based Events:

Dear Coaches and Club Directors,

The Advisory Board of the Mid-Atlantic Spring League recently determined that the Rising Sons 6th grade team had been playing this entire spring with two 7th graders on their roster. The rules of Mid-Atlantic Spring League strictly prohibit players from competing in divisions below their grade level The rule on this point was made clear to all clubs multiple times prior to the beginning of league play this Spring. First, the rule was set forth in the initial email welcoming teams into the league. Second, League Directors reviewed the rule on a conference call with all coaches, refs, and club directors participating in the Spring League. And, finally, the rule was reiterated in an email from the League Director in the week before the league initiated on March 15th.

Accordingly, we have determined that the conduct of the Rising Sons 6th grade team constitutes a flagrant violation of clearly communicated league rules. When directly asked about the situation, the Rising Sons club director confirmed the violation.

In response the league will take the following measures:

1. The Mid-Atlantic Spring League does not crown champions, and is more about player development than winning, but as a matter of principle the Rising Sons 6th grade team will forfeit all wins in the league in which ineligible players participated. Those games will be scored as 1-0 defeats per Federation rules.

2. The two 7th graders in question will not be allowed to play in the 6th grade division for the remainder of the league

3. The Rising Sons 2021 coach is barred from coaching in the league for the remainder of the season.

The Mid-Atlantic Spring League was founded to give like-minded programs that focus on year-round player development an opportunity to play fair and competitive games against each other. This principle fails if clubs are not willing to follow the agreed-upon rules. The league will adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards intentional violations of the age rules going forward, and reserves the right to permanently ban any future violators.

Let's play the remainder of the season honoring the game, your opponent and the officials.

It is very sad what has happened to club lacrosse in the Philadelphia area. There are a large number of clubs, which is fine, and there a small few who are high level and can play against top level teams. They all enjoyed a healthy level of competition with many of the kids knowing each other and the coaches all being friendly and in some cases actually very good friends. In that environment there was a philosophy of cooperation across clubs to help kids succeed, it was being done the right way.That all changes when Rising Sons started 2 to 3 years ago. They decided that instead of taking the approach of growing organically they would recruit. They would recruit from teams WHILE playing in tournaments. Their concentration initially was non-lacrosse playing fathers who had sons who were good players and they went after them. Promising everything from exposure to "scholarships" to Malvern Prep their director pillaged multiple programs and leveraged John McEvoy's name, coach at Malvern Prep. He even told multiple parents that there are scholarships to be had in the Inter Ac league. Basically they have now burned every bridge in the southeastern PA area and will not be invited back next year to the NXT Conshohocken league they were caught cheating in recently. They claim that "every club allows kids who MAY stay back to move to that year now" and also that he "has done more for youth lacrosse than anyone else". Both are lies. This man is building a cult and has decided to take shots at major programs, saying HHH is "for guys who want to play division 3" and Dukes is "over". It's appalling that this man is being allowed to coach and work with kids. Parents need to understand that lacrosse is like a big fraternity, it is crucial that all the boys have options and when you play for a program that has made so many enemies you are limiting their options.What is even more disgusting is the two high prestige coaches who have been sucked in. Kevin Donnelly, coach at Spring-Ford, is a coach and was involved in the cheating scandal as was John McEvoy, the coach at Malvern Prep. Both will say they did not know but EVERYONE knew and the feeling of everyone is that any adult who allowed this to happen is guilty.If you also look at the sideline behavior of their director Tad Doyle, who never played lacrosse, and Head coach Kris Gucwa, who played one fall semester at UMBC you would be disgusted. Nothing will change until a parent decides that winning does not need to be done at all costs. These parents are blinded by chasing Igloo on Long Island when they should be concentrating on their kids being coached by responsible adults. Coach McEvoy and Coach Donnelly will have their great reputations ruined, it has already started.

What BS whoever wrote this. Such a classes person to write such lies. Go away, stop with the jealousy and envy. When you put facts with a bunch of lies people throw the whole thing out. You sound like a kid, probably are.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

It is very sad what has happened to club lacrosse in the Philadelphia area. There are a large number of clubs, which is fine, and there a small few who are high level and can play against top level teams. They all enjoyed a healthy level of competition with many of the kids knowing each other and the coaches all being friendly and in some cases actually very good friends. In that environment there was a philosophy of cooperation across clubs to help kids succeed, it was being done the right way.That all changes when Rising Sons started 2 to 3 years ago. They decided that instead of taking the approach of growing organically they would recruit. They would recruit from teams WHILE playing in tournaments. Their concentration initially was non-lacrosse playing fathers who had sons who were good players and they went after them. Promising everything from exposure to "scholarships" to Malvern Prep their director pillaged multiple programs and leveraged John McEvoy's name, coach at Malvern Prep. He even told multiple parents that there are scholarships to be had in the Inter Ac league. Basically they have now burned every bridge in the southeastern PA area and will not be invited back next year to the NXT Conshohocken league they were caught cheating in recently. They claim that "every club allows kids who MAY stay back to move to that year now" and also that he "has done more for youth lacrosse than anyone else". Both are lies. This man is building a cult and has decided to take shots at major programs, saying HHH is "for guys who want to play division 3" and Dukes is "over". It's appalling that this man is being allowed to coach and work with kids. Parents need to understand that lacrosse is like a big fraternity, it is crucial that all the boys have options and when you play for a program that has made so many enemies you are limiting their options.What is even more disgusting is the two high prestige coaches who have been sucked in. Kevin Donnelly, coach at Spring-Ford, is a coach and was involved in the cheating scandal as was John McEvoy, the coach at Malvern Prep. Both will say they did not know but EVERYONE knew and the feeling of everyone is that any adult who allowed this to happen is guilty.If you also look at the sideline behavior of their director Tad Doyle, who never played lacrosse, and Head coach Kris Gucwa, who played one fall semester at UMBC you would be disgusted. Nothing will change until a parent decides that winning does not need to be done at all costs. These parents are blinded by chasing Igloo on Long Island when they should be concentrating on their kids being coached by responsible adults. Coach McEvoy and Coach Donnelly will have their great reputations ruined, it has already started.

Sounds like an angry Uprising Coach, i'm sure the director never said any of this. So far in the extreme. Guy does a great job with the kids and the parents love him. And I think I overheard him say he played 3 box games before. Hey whats that guy at Tufts Universities name? How many titles does he have? How many innings of lacrosse did he play?

The commentary on the Sons organization is spot on. Vast majority of people knew they were cheating and now it's confirmed. Trying to defend the director as a great guy, whom the parents love, just demonstrates how complicit coaches and parents were in the whole sharade. I guess teaching kids values like honesty, integrity, fair play, losing with grace, etc., is not really part of the Sons' mission statement. Poor kids, not a role model in sight!

What BS whoever wrote this. Such a classes person to write such lies. Go away, stop with the jealousy and envy. When you put facts with a bunch of lies people throw the whole thing out. You sound like a kid, probably are.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

It is very sad what has happened to club lacrosse in the Philadelphia area. There are a large number of clubs, which is fine, and there a small few who are high level and can play against top level teams. They all enjoyed a healthy level of competition with many of the kids knowing each other and the coaches all being friendly and in some cases actually very good friends. In that environment there was a philosophy of cooperation across clubs to help kids succeed, it was being done the right way.That all changes when Rising Sons started 2 to 3 years ago. They decided that instead of taking the approach of growing organically they would recruit. They would recruit from teams WHILE playing in tournaments. Their concentration initially was non-lacrosse playing fathers who had sons who were good players and they went after them. Promising everything from exposure to "scholarships" to Malvern Prep their director pillaged multiple programs and leveraged John McEvoy's name, coach at Malvern Prep. He even told multiple parents that there are scholarships to be had in the Inter Ac league. Basically they have now burned every bridge in the southeastern PA area and will not be invited back next year to the NXT Conshohocken league they were caught cheating in recently. They claim that "every club allows kids who MAY stay back to move to that year now" and also that he "has done more for youth lacrosse than anyone else". Both are lies. This man is building a cult and has decided to take shots at major programs, saying HHH is "for guys who want to play division 3" and Dukes is "over". It's appalling that this man is being allowed to coach and work with kids. Parents need to understand that lacrosse is like a big fraternity, it is crucial that all the boys have options and when you play for a program that has made so many enemies you are limiting their options.What is even more disgusting is the two high prestige coaches who have been sucked in. Kevin Donnelly, coach at Spring-Ford, is a coach and was involved in the cheating scandal as was John McEvoy, the coach at Malvern Prep. Both will say they did not know but EVERYONE knew and the feeling of everyone is that any adult who allowed this to happen is guilty.If you also look at the sideline behavior of their director Tad Doyle, who never played lacrosse, and Head coach Kris Gucwa, who played one fall semester at UMBC you would be disgusted. Nothing will change until a parent decides that winning does not need to be done at all costs. These parents are blinded by chasing Igloo on Long Island when they should be concentrating on their kids being coached by responsible adults. Coach McEvoy and Coach Donnelly will have their great reputations ruined, it has already started.

Truth is hard to swallow. Most always suspected that Rising Sons were cheaters. Now we know. It is all about winning to this club and doing whatever it takes to get that win. If I were a director of a rival club, I would pass on there invite for a play date.

Well aware that the first responder who called me "classes", I am thinking he meant classless, is the Rising Sons director Tad Doyle. Tad, I have watched you for years and I am not an Uprising, or any other, parent, I am a 20+ year lacrosse official so I have no bias except in favor of the kids. To put in bluntly we have known about you for years and your name as well as some of your parents, and other teams' parents, have been brought up in meetings and conference calls. The rumor of you playing with older kids has been drifting around for two years and now has been proven. I understand you truly believe that all programs do this however after speaking with Bethesda, Igloo, Team 91, 3D, Laxachusetts, Icon, Crabs, Annapolis Hawks, as well as the other Philadelphia teams it is simply not accurate. You stated that you have done more for Philadelphia youth lacrosse than anyone however in all of my years of playing, coaching, and officiating I have never met a more disliked team. And before you explain that everyone is mad because you are good let's remember that HHH/Dukes has been the cream of the crop for years and no one says near the volume of negative things about Billy McKinney, Eric Greg, Ebe Helm or any of those guys as they say about you and now your program. It is a shame that you are now damaging other coaches otherwise spotless reputations. There is a right way to do things and it is not the way you are doing it. You need to take a step away and understand that sometimes you are too close to a situation to truly see the damage you are doing.

There have been a lot of posts going on here, with a lot of names being thrown around. By no means am I condoning the allowance of 7th graders in a 6th grade 2021 format league or tournament, but I think enough has been slandered on this site the the COWARDS on both sides put your name to your posts. If you are going to sling mud..... then have the guts to put your name to it!!!!! And for the one individual to announce themselves as a 20+ year lacrosse official, all your post does lends credence to the idea that all Refs have their own Bias and Agenda when it comes to officiating. Why would you make it your personal mission to try to be the Demise of Rising Sons Lacrosse. If they have burned as many bridges as you say, then let them be accountable for their past actions. I have to say if my son played for the Rising Sons, I would be concerned for their safety during play, since our team/players/parents have come up in meetings. You say it is for the greater good of the kids???? Do you really mean that or are you just trying to convince yourself that you are truly concerned? MAN UP PEOPLE!!!! Stop hiding behind your posts.